Erased pt 2
by Jasis
Summary: A continuation of the first mini story. Percy gets some questions answered by Nereus and the Oracle finds herself in some trouble
1. Chapter 1

"Forgotten"

This couldn't be happening. Where did they come from? Who is leading them? How'd they get passed the barrier? Percy rolled to evade a swipe from one of the hundreds of Cyclops's invading Camp Half Blood.

It was a cold and the camp was awoken a little after sunrise on the January morning. How could this be happening? He thought to himself again. The titans were defeated. There shouldn't be anyone to attack camp…Yet here they were, getting invaded. He found Chiron and Annabeth holding back a few drakes. He ran up to them and parried a strike that could have gotten Chiron from the side. However, there was no time for thank you's. The invaders were gaining ground and there weren't enough campers left at camp to fend them off. Could this be the end of the camp?

Suddenly the monsters froze. As if something was talking to them and only they could hear it. And they began retreating to the woods that surrounded the camp.

Chiron looked puzzled. Had they kept going they could have easily overrun the camp. Yet here they were retreating. Something must have made them retreat, yet there was nothing that was obvious. Percy watched as Chiron looked around and the camp. Many of the buildings had been destroyed. Many of the campers had been injured but surprisingly, it didn't look like there were any casualties at all. Percy thanked the gods.

"Percy! You're okay!" cried Annabeth as she body slammed him in a gigantic bear hug.

"Yeah" He smiled, more so glad that she was safe rather than him.

They both looked to Chiron. He just stared at the ground, lost in thought.

"It doesn't make sense…There was no prophecy, no anything." Chiron mumbled to himself.

"Well, Rachel isn't here. So maybe there was and we just don't know about it yet." Answered Percy hoping that secretly it wasn't true that there was a prophecy and that this would be some random freak accident.

"That doesn't make sense though" replied Annabeth. "The prophecies usually come before it happens, not after. And usually we have time, even if it's just a little, before the event occurs."

Percy looked at both of them. He then looked up to the sky and prayed to the gods that this wasn't really happening. Maybe this was just a dream. Anything. But it wasn't and he knew he was just giving himself a false hope.

What hope did he even have left? There were maybe forty campers total, and what seemed like hundreds upon hundreds of monsters of all shapes and forms attacking. They were not prepared for this.

"Well aren't these kids in a bunch-o-trouble" a voice behind the three of them said.

Percy, Annabeth and Chiron whirled around to find three men standing behind them with amused looks on their faces.

They all looked around twenty seven to thirty years old. They wore khaki pants and striped sweaters of the same style just different colors. The man of the left had black stripes, the one in the middle had yellow stripes and the one of the right had navy blue stripes. They wore beanies matching the color of the stripes on their hoodies and they wore skater shoes that matched that color too. Overall it made them look like bums who never truly grew up and that were color coded. Yet when Percy looked in their eyes it told a whole different story.

The man on the left had long black hair that was obviously straightened. He stood with his shoulders slumped and with an unsure expression on his face. He looked kind of like those 'emo' rockers on TV. Yet his eyes were dark, they almost seemed black...and when he looked into that ones eyes it seemed like his soul was going to be drained right from his body. His skin was pale in comparison to the other two and there was something unnatural about him yet…familiar.

The man in the middle looked like he was the leader stood boldly in the front with a wild grin on his face. Confidence radiated out of every pore of his body and judging by his position he was probably the leader of the trio. Percy couldn't see the mans hair but judging from his eyebrows he had blond hair. The man stood grinning at Chiron and Percy wondered if they had met before. No, he was sure they had met before.

Percy finally gazed at the one on the right who he found out was looking directly back at him. When their eyes met Percy immediately looked towards the ground and he could swear he heard the man chuckle. Percy hoped he wasn't turning read. He noticed the man had blue eyes. Just like Poseidon. They looked just like the sea did that day. His hair was a bit longer and was slightly showing out of the beanie. It was a rich brown color. He seemed so familiar. He must have seen this person before. Yet there was nothing in his memory.

_Don't worry. You don't know me. Ha ha, _said a calm rich voice in Percies head.

Percy gasped.

"Is everything okay Percy?" Annabeth had noticed Percy's look of confusion. She grabbed his hand.

"He just…" Percy tried to reply but he was interrupted by the man in front who interjected and spoke directly to Chiron.

"It's been a while, old teach. Ha!" He laughed. His voice was proud and it boomed over anything that you would expect to be general conversation between two people. The entire camp could probably hear him.

"How…did you…are you…" Chiron's voice trailed. Percy had never seen Chiron this confused.

The man in the middle laughed with his booming voice.

Annabeth clenched Percy's hand.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice showing a false confidence.

"Friends…Kind of…I guess…" replied the one on the left.

Everyone looked confused.

The man on the right smiled and stepped forward.

"We're more of…allies. That is, only if you need our help."

Percy noticed his voice was softer than the others. The one on the far left spoke in a very shy tone and the man in the middle basically shouted boastfully. This one seemed to be at easy with the situation and just go with the flow.

The man on the right looked at Chiron, "Need some help, ole teach?"

Thalia and Nico appeared out of nowhere with their weapons drawn and got between the two groups pointing their weapons at the three mystery men.

The man in the middle burst out laughing.

"Ooo scary." He grinned after his laughter died down.

Thalia and Nico backed down immediately. Percy couldn't tell if it was forced or if they were just scared.

There was a short pause where nobody spoke.

"Well, teach?" the man on the far right asked again.

Chiron was still staring at them in disbelief.

"Chiron!" shouted Annabeth and Chiron broke from his daze.

He looked at the three of them for a moment and replied with, "Why did you come out? How did you get out? You shouldn't be here or concerned with what's going on here anymore."

The man in the middle's grin spread even wider.

"Aww you know us, man. We can do whatever. We saw this was happening and we knew you couldn't win alone and decided to come help. You know how we do."

"I don't know if you all are allowed to help…" Chiron's voice sounded unsure.

"Ehhh, we weren't really supposed to leave either." Whispered the man on the left.

"But we did and we can." Replied the one on the right to the other two.

There was a loud boom and the sound of thousands of feet hitting the ground and the group turned to see the monsters charging out of the forest.

"Let's go!" Yelled the man in the middle and they sprinted past the group.

"Wait, we can't let them just run and get killed!" Yelled Annabeth over the noise. "It's just wrong!"

Chiron stared for a moment at the trio running towards the army.

He sighed and sat down.

"What are you doing!" Yelled Thalia in disbelief at Chiron's actions.

"Just wait and watch." Replied Chiron. "You'll see." Chiron went back to staring at them with that blank incredulous look.

Percy, Thalia, Annabeth and Nico just stood in disbelief and watched as the trio stopped in front of the charging army. They looked so calm. The one in black had both hands in his pockets. The one in yellow got into a stance that looked like he was rearing to go. And the one in blue just stretched his arms out a little bit and looked towards the sky.

The men in black and yellow looked towards the man in blue. He turned his palms upward and raised his hands as if trying to hug the sky. Immediately Percy felt it. The ground had begun to shake all around them. The man in blue was creating an earthquake. Yet as he could see the monsters were getting the worst of it. They could barely even stand with all the shaking. Storm clouds were forming above and Percy felt uneasy. Something was wrong. Who was the man in blue? How could one person do all this? He didn't seem like a god…But that wasn't it. The ground was shaking. Storm clouds were forming. Yet neither of those things were what was making Percy's stomach feel uneasy. Then Percy realized it. He turned around so suddenly that everyone in the group followed his gaze and saw that right at the beach there was a wave.

This was no little wave. That thing was at least forty to fifty meters tall and its width along the coastline must have been the same length as the entire camp. And it was moving for them.

"We have to RUN!" Yelled Percy trying to get Chiron's attention but Chiron simply remained where he was.

"Don't move." Replied Chiron. "You do NOT want to make it difficult for him to move the sea around you."

Percy noticed his mouth was agape. The tidal wave was on its way and Chiron didn't even want them to move? How could something like this…?

This time it was Nico that gasped. And everyone turned to Nico.

"Look at the monsters…their feet. All of them…" Nico was at a loss of words and when the group strained their eyes they could see it too.

The man in the black stripes was holding his hand out to his side with the palm facing towards the sky as if he was holding a wine glass in that hand. But that wasn't what scared the group. Out of the cracks formed in the ground by the man in blues earthquake had come a group of soldiers. About twenty. All with machine guns mowing down the smaller monsters into oblivion.

Percy noticed none of the monsters were moving. Then he realized they couldn't. Skeleton hands were holding the monsters' feet firmly in place. The monsters couldn't move and the look on their faces was of utter panic. They were getting shot at by skeleton soldiers' machine guns and a tidal wave was on its way. And they couldn't even move.

The tidal wave passed right through the group while they were noticing the skeletons. The water had cracked open right where each of them was so they wouldn't get hit by the water. And slammed full force into the invading army washing away all but the very large dragons and giants who had somehow managed to stand their ground. Even the trees had been completely flattened by the wave. In the back stood a huge black dragon with his teeth bared.

"You think a little water could destroy ME!" He growled. "I'll annihilate all of you!"

The dragon waited until the giants started throwing huge boulders at the trio. As the rocks flew through the air he shot fire at them turning the boulders into huge molten projectiles. Flying directly at the trio.

Percy looked back to the trio. They weren't even moving. Suddenly the men in blue and black rushed towards the one in yellow. The man in blue held his arms out, spun around once and while spinning lifted his hands to the sky. A water spout reaching to the heavens surrounded them and the molten boulders sizzled but didn't go through the pillar of spinning water.

The dragon snarled.

Suddenly that booming voice began laughing his loud laugh. The water spout faded and the men in blue and black walked away from the man in yellow.

"It takes me a while. But if you think they're the ones who can do damage, you're sorely mistaken." Laughed the man in yellow. The man in yellow held his fist up to the sky for a short moment and then slammed his fist into the ground.

No one had ever seen anything like it before. Well, not saying that the previous two men did do something they had seen before but this was just a lot flashier. Pillars of lightning shot from the sky enveloping all those who had not been shot or washed away. Enveloping them completely. Even the huge dragon and the giants. It wasn't just bolts of lightning; they were full pillars reaching from the sky to the ground. Some of them had to be at least twenty meters in diameter.

When they faded there was nothing left. The giants and the dragon had been completely vaporized. This didn't really surprise Percy. But how was this possible. How could they have so much power? Who were they?

The group watched in silence as the trio walked back laughing and recalling random events from the all too one sided battle.

"And then they were wondering why they couldn't move! Ha ha ha."

"Yeah and their faces when they saw the tidal wave! Priceless."

"Yeah, and they thought YOU TWO were the ones who were the attacking ones, HAHA!"

They were giving each other compliments and fist bumps and pats on the back and laughing as if they had just one some videogame and got the high score. Nothing more. This was just a game to them.

"Well, how did you like the show?" Grinned the man in yellow when the trio had returned to the group.

"How…Who…" Now Annabeth was the one wide eyed and staring at them. Percy guessed logic could not explain how they had just done that.

"Hah, we're demigods, just like you!" Laughed the one in yellow.

He made it seem like that would answer all their questions. He did notice after a moment of silence that it in fact, did not.

Right as he was going to begin to speak the trio froze suddenly, eyes widening.

They kept the look for a few good seconds until the man in yellow bursted out laughing, again.

"Uh oh, I think dad's pissed." He joked to the group as he turned to his two buddies, "Ya'll get that too?"

Both of the others grinned and nodded in reply.

"Well, I guess we should head back. Bah. I like it here in this camp."

He stood silent for a second, and then looked up towards the sky.

"Naw, man we're going! Sheesh. We don't want to stay. Just visit. Cut us some slack. Freakin' pain in the ass."

Thunder rumbled overhead and a bolt hit the ground awfully close to where the man in yellow was standing. Percy watched the expression on the man in yellows face turn from jovial to anger.

"Not only did you decide to completely ERASE US FROM HISTORY. You can't even come and see us when we decide to escape and visit! Gah!" Electricity started to bounce around the man in yellows body and it looked like he was about the throw a bolt back to the sky when the man in blue put his hand on the man in yellows shoulder. Immediately the man in yellow calmed down.

"Ugh, sorry about that." He managed a smile. "I got a little carried away." He looked like he was apologizing to everyone down on the ground. Yet Percy couldn't feel that he was apologizing to the gods at all.

"Well, we should…be off…" the man in black stepped back when everyone's gaze turned to him. "I mean, we wouldn't want them too angry at us, right? Let's just go back."

"Wait." The man in yellow commanded. "Just lemme get one good look. At our current heroes." Even though he said it he was looking directly at Thalia. He gave her a weak smile which she could not return and then grinned, "You don't take that old geezer up there too seriously, aight? He's just had his head up in the clouds for too long."

There was a crack and lightning came crashing down into the man in yellow. Yet nothing happened. He just grinned and jumped into the shadow the man in black had created and disappeared.

There was a little pause of silence and then finally the man in blue stepped forward.

"Percy." How he knew Percy's name, Percy didn't know. But he felt compelled to listen.

"Poseidon is the god of the sea, earthquakes and storms. That leaves his children with quite a variety of stuff to choose from. "He paused. "And don't think we're limited and that we can't soar in the sky too."

Thunder rumbled and the man in blue looked up and smiled.

"Although I have said much, I don't have much meaning to a lot of my words in comparison…So I'll show you something cool instead. Something that I think the gods did not think through very well."

A little blue glowing mist appeared in front of the man in blues eyes. Percy suddenly realized that whenever any of them were doing any of their stuff. They had the same misty stuff in front of their eyes. The man in yellows was yellow and the man in blacks was black.

A little storm cloud appeared overhead and the man in blue motioned for everyone to look up. He then snapped his fingers and a bolt of lightning hit the ground between him and Percy.

"Funny how a son of the sea god...can summon lightning, don't you think?" He smiled. He then proceeded to jump into the shadow and disappear a split second faster than the lightning bolt that charred the ground where he had stood.

The man in the black sighed. "Of course I would be the last one to leave. I'm the one the gods hate the most, naturally. And I'm the one who stays longest out of my domain. Oh dear…" He paused for a second collecting his thoughts.

The man in black turned to Nico. "We might not be as flashy…And we might not be as strong…But we're the ones who do all the little stuff that make the other two buffoons run smoothly." He smiled. "I lucked out with having a son of the sea god who actually is a brilliant thinker. So my job is light. But they will always clash occasionally, and we have plenty of tools to keep them from killing each other. We're needed here more than you think. And even if we're not as flashy…We by far have the most fun toys…" He snapped his fingers and everyone gasped as a skeleton hand popped out of the ground. "Ehh. I've said too much and I've stayed too long…Ugh. Now they're gonna dislike me even more…" He looked sullen for a moment and then grinned. "But what fun would it be if it were easy, right?"

He jumped into the shadow and the shadow disappeared right as a bolt of lightning hit the ground where he stood.

There was a silence.

Annabeth turned to Chiron and found him grinning.

"Enough with the secrets! Who are they? Where did they come from? Why couldn't they have helped in the Titan war? We NEEDED people like them! How are they demigods that we have never heard about!" Percy grabbed her hand and she stopped yelling and started to breathe again. Collecting her thoughts.

Chiron's grin faded and was replaced by a solemn look.

"They were the best. It's as simple as that. No hero in the past did as much as they did for the world and for the gods as they did."

"And they were your students?" Annabeth asked.

"Yes. Yes, they were. But I think…I learned more from them than I could ever teach them." Replied Chiron. His voice was sad. As if they were just some memory…

"Wait." Interjected Percy. "What do you mean _were_? I'm pretty sure they're still the best. I mean…I thought they were lesser gods when I saw them fighting!"

Chiron looked pained. "They were talented. Gifted. Prodigies. Geniuses. Call them what you want. But it was not a gift from the gods that made them that way. They just simply were. Yet none of their quests were to save the world…"

Thunder rumbled loud enough to shake the ground.

"Ah sorry." Chiron apologized to the sky. "I can't tell you much more…"

"PLEASE tell us the story of who they are! Just a hint so I can research. ANYTHING!" Annabeth cried. Percy could tell she was dying to know who those people were. Maybe they could teach us.

"No-no…I can't say much. The gods have forbidden it…And they no longer 'are'. They 'were'." Replied Chiron softly.

"But…They were just in front of us!" This time it was Nico. He looked bewildered. As if he just had to find the one in the black stripped sweater.

Chiron looked pained again. "They passed on...a while ago."

"Then how were they here?" asked Thalia

"I don't know…" Chiron stared into the distance. "I don't have a clue…"

"So they're supposed to be in Elysium, right? Did they die a hero's death?" asked Thalia.

Chiron smiled. "Oh no. They're in the Isles of the Blessed."

Everyone was stunned. They had just seen three people who somehow managed to escape the Isles of the Blessed? Why would they try to escape? Why would you ever leave..?

"Who knows? They were always good at finding paths. Well. Sa..The man in black was." Replied Chiron.

"What were their names?" asked Nico.

Chiron smiled back, "They are not to be uttered. Another oath those who know all have sweared."

"Why can't we know their story!" Annabeth looked pained. "Knowledge is supposed to be shared and learned. Their stories might help us!"

Thunder roared.

Chiron stood still for a moment.

At last he smiled. "I am allowed to tell you very little but it would be a start."

"Their names, I cannot tell you, and first you must swear on the river Styx that you will not allow anyone else to find out about this."

Everyone sweared on the river Styx.

"Well...Hmm…" Chiron was lost in thought. Percy guessed he was thinking of how to tell them the most possible without revealing too much. "As a collective unit...they were known as…"

Thunder roared.

Suddenly the smell of grape filled the air and light bent and Dionysus appeared.

"I'll do the explaining…Ugh, why do they even want to know just a little? They can't know the full story anyways… But whatever." Dionysus sighed.

"Do you know your history, girl?" he asked Annabeth

"Yes sir" she replied.

"So you know the Spanish were the ones who conquered the Aztecs and the Incas and all the other people in the south and central Americas right?"

"Yes sir"

"And you know that the French and British and a little bit of the Russians conquered north America from the Native American tribes, right?

"Yes sir"

"Well who do you think conquered all of those peoples' ancient gods _allowing_ the Europeans to dominate the Americas so easily?"

"Umm…I thought that you…" Annabeth gasped. "You don't mean to say that it was them..."

"Food for thought!" Dionysus interrupted her. He looked at the group, smiled, turned around, and disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as Dionysus had gone, Percy's mind began to race.

_The conquerors of the gods? How could demigods take on gods? Not to mention in their lifetime they defeated ALL of them? On two separate continents? Then again…_

He couldn't put the pieces together. It felt like the information was there. A fact that could not be denied. Now no one could question whether they had done it or not. They had to. Even the gods say they did it. But something felt wrong. It was a fact with no background. It was empty. It was undeniable but it could not be proved. Nor could it be disproved.

Percy rubbed his temples and tried not to think about it too hard. Something about it bothered him but he couldn't figure it out just standing there. He needed to be near the sea. It was calling him. Maybe it could give him a clue or at least just help clear his mind.

He looked towards the rest of the group. Everyone seemed to be lost in thought. Almost like the entire group had just been put in some sort of trance. But one by one they all came back to reality.

Percy looked towards Annabeth. She was lost in thought. Agitated.

"How something could this big be so easily overlooked?" she finally blurted out. "It doesn't make sense. It's like we just took the entire thing for granted."

"Maybe the gods didn't want people remembering this happening." Replied Nico. "It doesn't show them in too bright of a light. You know. Here they seem to be people to be scared of, not so much to admire."

Annabeth thought about that for a moment. "I'm going to go check some stuff out." She pulled Daedalus' laptop out of her backpack and ran back to the Athena cabin.

Thalia was the next to speak. "I don't think that the gods would have told us this without good reason. Maybe we're thinking about it wrong. "She glanced at Nico. "I have a really bad feeling about those three …in a weird way. They're friendlies but…I don't know. Something's different about them. But anyways." She put her bow over her shoulder. "I have to get back to the hunt." And she ran off into the woods and was gone.

At some point in these conversations Chiron had left somehow, though Percy had no clued how he could have missed that. Nico and Percy were the only people left standing. Nico was the first to speak.

"Do you think I could sneak my way into the Isles?" he asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Was Percy's reply but when he looked at Nico he could tell that Nico was not joking around. He might actually go and try.

"I don't know Nico…I don't think that is too good of an idea. I don't even know what happens to people who try to get there without earning the right. But it can't be good."

"Well they managed to leave so there must be a way to enter."

"I don't know Nico…This can't be good."

"Well are you interested or not?"

Percy thought about it for a moment. Of course he was interested. After all he had just seen there must be a way to contact them again. He had so many questions and I'm sure they would be able to give them answers. Why he felt that way? He didn't know. But he also felt everyone else who witnessed what happened felt the same way.

"I feel like something's going to happen. Nothing to do with quests or prophecies. Something small. Something that has dire consequences if it's not taken care of…" Nico murmured. "I don't know what's going on but I don't think it's the last we will see of them."

"Yeah…" Percy replied as he looked out towards the sea. "Let's talk about it when we all get together after lunch. I'm sure the rest of the people feel the same way and will want to be in on this too."

Nico didn't seem to like the idea of a lot of people being around him but he agreed.

"See ya." He waved and disappeared into the shadows.

Percy was now the only one left in the spot where they witnessed three demigods take on an army. The scene repeated over and over in his mind until he thought that he would go crazy if he stayed there. He began walking towards the sea out of habit. He needed to clear his mind. And the feeling that something was going to happen. It had nothing to do with their actions, but he felt that those three had not returned to the Isles of the Blessed. They must have gone somewhere else. He didn't know why. Just a hunch. But he knew his hunches must have meaning.

Percy stepped into the water and immediately felt better. His mind cleared and he strode deeper and deeper until he was completely submerged and let the current carry him around to wherever. He liked it when he could just float around with no worries and he had plenty of time to just relax. Nothing mattered. It was the greatest relaxation he could ask for.

"Son of the sea god! Son of the sea god!" cried a somewhat high pitched voice.

_Greatest relaxation my ass_ thought Percy.

Percy turned towards the area from which he heard the voice and moved into the general direction when a dolphin almost crashed into him out of haste.

"Please help my mama, oh son of the sea god, please help!" the young dolphin cried.

Percy smiled and nodded while grabbing on to the little dolphins fin. The little dolphin's size did not do him justice in comparison to the speed at which it carried Percy. Though Percy did want to help the little dolphin and his mother, he still couldn't help but think of the three mystery men who saved the camp. Specifically, the one in blue stripes who managed to talk to him in his mind. Someone had to know something about him, but who?

In no time at all the little dolphin brought Percy to a larger dolphin that was stuck in a sunken ship.

"While we were swimming around the wreckage, one of the doors slid closed and now my mama is trapped! We tried and tried but we couldn't get her out. Please help, sir!" whined the young dolphin as he desperately tried to slide open the door.

Percy easily managed to open the door and let the dolphin out.

"Is something troubling you?" Asked the dolphin. "I am but a dolphin but I have been around an awfully long time."

"Not unless you know who the mystery three that appeared at Camp today…" replied Percy while absentmindedly staring at the wreckage. "They just appeared and saved the camp…Doing things that I have only seen gods do. Yet they said they were demigods. And Chiron said they were supposed to be in the Isles of the Blessed. And they…"

"I know the Olympians are unable to tell you, but maybe Nereus can shed some light on the situation…"

Percy stared at the shipwreck. Suddenly it hit him as to what the dolphin just said. He spun around but the dolphin and her son were gone.

Percy wasn't sure as to what to do. It wasn't summer so in all technicalities he could tell Chiron he was going to go home and then head over to San Francisco. Yet that would take such a long time since he couldn't fly there on an airplane and the risks of going there in the first place was just too much.

He realized that he had subconsciously taken himself back to camp when he found himself standing on the beach. Unfortunately the ocean had not, in fact, cleared his mind. He let out a deep sigh, more so out of pity for himself than frustration.

"Well, now. Don't feel too bad. After all, the sea has many friends."

Percy turned to the left and found Nereus standing before him. Except this time he was not wearing the pajamas and bathrobes. He wore khaki pants and a buttoned down dress shirt that was tucked in neatly. He even had a nice leather belt to complete the casual professional look.

There was a moment of silence where Percy tried to think of a way to catch the Old Man of the Sea.

"Ah, you don't need to try to catch me. I've already been caught by a…brother of yours. Nice fella. Awfully cunning though. You never do know what his plans are. Even to outwit Athena in a contest of strategy. And beat Mars in a contest of war.

"Mars? As in the Roman god?" asked Percy. It was the only topic he could formulate a question quickly. He regretted it instantly because he realized that was his only question.

Nereus chuckled. "It's alright. I will answer all your questions. That kid reminded me of how I used to be. What I represent. I'm almost ashamed I've been sitting around on that beach for a hundred years."

Nereus paused and took in a deep breath of sea air. Percy noticed he looked happy. As if all his problems and worries were taken away.

He finally began talking. "So, Percy, what is it that you want to ask me? I do not have to abide by the rules of the Olympians as much as they have to abide by their own rules. Though, I still have to abide by some. For example, I can't tell you his story. Nor can I tell you his name. But, I guess telling you his nickname wouldn't be so bad, now would it?"

Percy stood in disbelief. Nereus had changed so much. He looked confident instead of ashamed. He looked comfortable and content. In a way, he even looked more powerful.

"You know, kid. I'm pretty lucky. I get to lounge around the beach all day instead of going to Tartarus. It's pretty nice. And because of it, I kinda like those Olympians. Even though they're annoying little brats."

Percy couldn't help but laugh. This new countenance was too much. But he realized he would probably have to get to the point. It was almost time for dinner and he had promised to meet up with his friends and talk about the situation.

"So, um. You said he was really smart? Anything else?" Percy managed.

Nereus smiled. "Yes. Brilliant. I actually respect the kid. Well, I guess he's a grown man, but not for long." Nereus winked. "He's out pulling strings right now. Getting back to the world of the living. And it would be a good thing too. You half bloods are going to need people of his caliber. "

"People keep saying that. But I don't know what they mean. I don't even know what to call him. And how could he speak into my mind? How was he able to control _lightning_ and make storms, and earthquakes, and even a tsunami!"

"He's a mind. Think of Daedalus with demigod powers instead of just being human. He figured out much during his lifetime and when he did, he shared it with his squad."

"Squad? You mean the guys in yellow and black?"

Nereus laughed, "Yes. The guys in yellow and black. Anyways, he was feared by many of the people around him. Well, for a good reason. As nice as Poseidon makes himself out to be to you. He's actually pretty dangerous. I mean, you've met his sons, haven't you? Just how nice are all those Cyclopes'?"

Percy couldn't deny that. He had met plenty, and other than his brother. None were very nice.

Nereus continued. "Now think about those people when they realized his brilliance. Who knows what he would use it for? You can never read him. He's like the sea. On the surface it may look serene, but what's going on underneath the surface. Nobody knows. And those who dare jump in to find out better know how to swim."

"So he's dangerous? Are the other two dangerous too?" Percy was worrying now. What were they planning to do by trying to escape out of the underworld? Correction. Now that they have escaped.

Nereus sat down and began sifting the sand through his hands. It looked like a little hobby.

"No, he's not dangerous. All I'm saying is that you should never stop questioning him or his motives. He respects that. Also, watch out for his words. Many times they carry a subtle meaning. He isn't an enemy, to you all at least."

"He's an enemy of the gods?" Percy guessed.

"He killed gods in his lifetime Percy. Many of the Olympians do not like him. Do not trust him. Others however, think that he could be of further use."

"I thought gods couldn't be killed? Don't they just reappear after a while?"

"Now isn't that a scary thought?" replied Nereus. He looked older. "We don't know how he did it, but those gods are as gone as Pan."

"And what can I call him?" asked Percy. "I think I'm going to see him again. I don't know why, but I just know I will."

Nereus grinned. "Oh you will, very soon. You can call him Navy. That's what most of his friends call him. Including me."

"You're his friend?"

"Yes. We spend a lot of time fishing together. He doesn't hold any grudge or dislike to any of us…older gods. He actually asks us a lot of questions and looks to us for advice. It's quite flattering really. Anyways, it's time for dinner. Get ready for a surprise." Nereus smiled. "Well, if you need me. Just ask a Nereid. They'll know where to find me." Percy then watched as he strode off into the water.

Percy stood for a moment watching how the sun reflected off of the ocean and then walked back to the dining area. There would be plenty to talk about after dinner.

Right before he got to his table, he noticed a lot of people standing in a big circle. Out of curiosity he wandered over to check out what was going on.

Percy froze.

He could barely see it through the crowd but there was no mistake. Three kids. With three different colored shirts. One blue, one yellow, one black, all wearing khaki pants and then skate shoes that copied the colors of their respective shirts.

They were younger, maybe around sixteen or seventeen at most. They looked just like typical teenagers. And they talked like them too. The one in black was shyly talking to a couple of people from the Hephaestus cabin. The one in yellow looked like he was flirting with the girls from the Aphrodite cabin and Navy looked perfectly relaxed talking to a group from the Athena cabin. Percy thought he could make out them talking about the layout of New York City and all its flaws.

Chiron showed up quickly followed by Annabeth and gasped when he saw the three of them standing there.

He slammed his hoof and told everyone to get to their tables as it was time for dinner. And somehow no one had heard the bell.

Percy watched as the three of them walked up to Chiron casually and introduced themselves. Chiron told them to stop joking around but they all seemed to not have a clue as to what he was talking about. They told him a satyr had told them to come here while they were out camping and a monster attacked them.

"Do you know what table you belong to?" asked Chiron

"Yes sir!" replied the kid in yellow. "Navy over there is a son of Poseidon! Dim over there is a son of Hades! And I, Seth, am the son of the best one, Zeus!" He shouted the terms but the deep resonance of his voice from his older self was gone. Now he sounded like a jock from high school who liked to make the class laugh by messing around with the teacher, but in a way where there was no harm done to anyone other than maybe cramps from everyone, including the teacher, laughing too hard.

"Eyy man, who said it was yours who was the best?" Grinned Navy. "I'd like to see you try to take me on, bro." He playfully brought up his fists out and playfully jabbed at Seth.

"Bring it!" Laughed Seth as he returned the jabs.

"Guys…enough…we don't want to be in trouble…guys? Oh come on…" weakly intruded the one named Dim. He tried to bring their fists down but they just pushed him back, and continued messing around and throwing playful insults back and forth.

"Enough!" demanded Chiron as he easily separated the two of them. "To your tables. Percy take Navy over to your table, I'll take Seth to his." He then walked off pulling Seth along while Seth struggled to get back into the play fight with Navy. Percy couldn't believe what was happening, but Chiron had an amused look on his face. Maybe he knew something Percy didn't.

"Well? Are we going to the table or not?" Percy turned to the right and found Navy standing there with his hands in his pockets and a friendly smile on his face.

"What are you guys playing at?"

"Wha?"

"You save camp and now you're here a decade younger?"

"Dude, I don't know what you have been smoking, but I want some. Where do you get yours?"

Percy had no idea what was going on, but he led the way over to his table.

"Wicked, man. We can eat whatever we want? Hmmm." Percy watched as Navy thought for a moment and then watched a seafood banquet appear in front of them on the table."

"So you don't remember anything?"

"Huh? I remember everything."

"So what's your story?"

"Whoa man, I just met you. I don't think you want to know my story."

"As in you don't remember it do you?"

"Uhh. Well. It's fuzzy. Everything seems so new. It's cool though. I'm in a place with lots of food and there are plenty of people so I can't get lonely. Oooh, someone is about to speak."

Percy looked to the right and saw Dionysus standing. He looked tired and he didn't seem to care about the situation in the least. "Well, we have some new campers and yadda yadda. Not like I care. Oh and tomorrow will be Capture the flag, the Hunters will be here so let's not try to lose too badly." He then sat down.

"Capture the flag? Ohhh wicked. That's my favorite game!"

"I don't think you know what we mean."

"Oh, what do you all mean then?"

"Well, you'll see tomorrow."

"Ooooh Mr. Mystery here. Alright, alright. I can wait. I guess I have to wait to find out who the Hunters are too?"

Percy laughed. Navy was so relaxed; he seemed like a completely different person. Yet in the back of Percy's mind he thought that he would have to go talk to Chiron about the situation.

Once dinner was done Percy showed Navy to the cabin which they would now share. Navy looked thrilled at the design and the feel of the place. Percy felt kind of happy too. He wasn't going to be alone anymore and his roommate seemed like a pretty cool guy; if this wasn't some plan.

Percy didn't know what to do with Navy but he still had to go talk to Chiron and the other people about what he had seen. Navy was alright with this since all he really wanted was to go to sleep. Apparently he felt exhausted but Percy could really tell that he had fallen asleep before Percy had even left the cabin. Percy prayed to his father to not let Navy go and get himself into trouble for the hour or so when Percy wasn't going to be watching over him.

Percy wandered off to find Annabeth and everyone else who had already congregated into a group by the time Percy managed to get there.

Chiron noticed Percy's arrival and everyone greeted him. Thalia was there too, and everyone looked puzzled.

"How does no one else seem to have noticed them the first time around? How are they younger now? Do they not remember anything?" Annabeth continued asking questions without pause and everyone stood listening, since she was repeating all the questions that had been bothering them all day.

"I don't know about how no one else saw, but they have been reverted back to an age before many of their adventures. Right when they entered my camp the first time. Dionysus vouched for that."

"So their memories have been taken too?" asked Nico who had appeared out of the shadows without anyone noticing.

"Not really. Their time has been taken. Their memories no longer exist. Since they have not yet gone on their adventures to acquire them." Chiron paused looking at everyone's' faces. "It's not the easiest thing to explain or understand…That's the only way to explain it, though. Their time has been turned back."

Annabeth was the first one to speak after a moment of silence.

"But, isn't the only god who can control 'time'…Kronus? We just got rid of him…"

"Ah but there is another, the one who controls all time itself, Chronos. And he is not to be confused with Kronus!" replied the Centaur. "However, to be able to manage to get a hold of that god…Even I do not know how to possibly get in touch with him."

"Gee. I sound scary!"

Everyone turned around to find a grinning Navy leaning against Chiron.

Chiron flinched, "How did you!"

"Aww don't worry about it, man. I just wanted a cool entrance, that's all."

Navy was grinning but Percy noticed a strange twinkle in his eyes. He knew something, and he wasn't going to tell anyone. Or maybe, Percy thought to himself, he was thinking too hard. If the gods had vouched their time had been reversed, or whatever it was. Then he really shouldn't remember anything.

"Dang, I'm sorry I didn't want to make an awkward moment. You all are just talking about me and I couldn't help but wonder why. I still don't really get it. I'm just me, Navy."

Everyone stood in silence for another moment, Nico was the first to speak.

"How did you manage to sneak up on us without anyone noticing?"

"Oh that." Navy was staring at his feet. "I come from a poor family. Most of the time I had to steal to get my food. After a while, you get pretty good at sneaking around."

"Very good." Stressed Chiron in what sounded like a mix of pity and disapproval.

"Anyways, the real reason I came here." Navy had turned to Chiron.

"The real reason?" inquired what now sounded like a tired Chiron.

"Yeah. I want to complain about security in this place man. I was sleeping and was awoken by some redheaded girl with green smoke coming out of her eyes and mouth. She kept of reciting some poem. Not cool, man. I thought you said we couldn't use drugs while here?"

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HER?" cried a Chiron who looked truly panicked.

"Whoa, calm down. Nothing. I just tied her down with my blankets and ran here. What else was I supposed to do? I can't just carry a deranged druggy through camp to get to you all."

"Is she hurt?" Chiron suddenly got a lot calmer. Which made Percy a little worried. Chiron seemed to see no danger in it.

"Naw, she's just bound down. Hopefully she'll fall asleep and sleep it off." Shrugged Navy.

Chiron chuckled. He seemed to find it amusing.

"You just tied down the Oracle of Delphi!" cried Annabeth. Who seemed also to be on the verge of breaking out laughing.

"Oh my. Oracle, oracle…Hmm." Pondered Navy for a moment. "Ah, I know! I should probably apologize to Apollo, eh?"

Everyone just stared at him.

"Well, I guess that's a yes." Navy looked up at the sky. "Hey, err. Apollo! Sorry about that. Totally didn't catch that. Don't flay me, aight man? I promise I'll buy you a beer or something? Or maybe I'll be your wing man at a party?"

Somehow, Percy thought that apology would be just fine for Apollo.

Chiron cleared his throat. "Well, I guess we should go untie her."


End file.
